“Scouting is just as strong as it always was,” said Joey Kiker, spokesman for the Greater Alabama Council in Birmingham, by far the largest council, with 33,000 youth and 5,100 adult volunteers as of last May. “We feel very positive about the new year.”

Although some churches did end their relationships with Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs, Kiker said that “every single unit that lost a charter partner, within an hour, had a new charter partner.”

“We’re just scouting as we always do,” he said.

Doug Underhill of Perdido Key, Fla., who has two sons in scouting in the Gulf Coast Council, says he’s OK with the new membership policy, which lifts the ban on gay youth but leaves it in place for gay adults. As a Christian, he says he views homosexuality as a sin, though no worse than any other sin.

“Those boys need training and guidance and assistance to become men, just like anybody else,” said Underhill, who is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. He added that “sexuality is not a part of the (scouting) process.”

However, he said that if his sons had a gay leader, “we would have to take a serious look at making other arrangements.”

His oldest son is 13 and a year away from earning his Eagle Award, the highest honor in Scouting. His other son is a second-year Webelo and will be crossing over to Boy Scouts in the spring.

“It’s an unfortunate reality that this one issue is having such an impact on scouting,” he said.

Underhill has also offered his support to Trail Life USA, a newly created national alternative to Boy Scouts that does not allow gay members. "I can understand the point of view of those parents who find they need a more Christian-centric scouting experience," he said. "Those folks should get all the benefits of scouting."

Trail Life troops

Among the new Trail Life groups is one taking shape in Fairhope in coastal Alabama. Potential leaders have held planning meetings for a new troop to be chartered by Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Christopher Jones, one of the organizers, said the new troop is not a reaction to the Boy Scouts’ membership policy, and he expects it to attract boys who do not currently belong to Scouts.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to marry the outdoor skills with intentional Christian principles,” Jones said.

There are bigger issues than last May’s decision, he said. For instance, the Britain Scouting Association earlier this year approved an alternate version of the Scout Promise that makes no mention of God.

According to a forum on its website, Trail Life USA plans to hold a promotional event in Birmingham on Jan. 4. Former Scouting professional Rob Green of South Carolina, who is the group’s interim national executive director, is expected to speak.

'Mission unchanged'

The Black Warrior Council, based in Tuscaloosa, has added members this year, according to Scout Executive Ed Martin. The council expects to finish 2013 with 3,515 youth and 956 adult volunteers, up from 2,861 youth and 862 adults reported last spring.

Martin credits a strong fall recruiting season for the growth, but said the council had reached out to members and sponsoring organizations as soon as the national BSA vote came down. “We had a lot of discussions with families,” he said. “They heard that the vision and mission of Scouting was unchanged.”

The Tukabatchee Area Council, based in Montgomery, has had a slight dip in membership, which has been occurring slowly over time, said Scout Executive Bill Morgan. He attributed the small decrease to a shift in interest among youth, and not last May’s vote. Earlier this year, the council had reported 7,000 youth and 2,000 adult volunteers.

Only four or five of the council’s 200 charter partner organizations chose not to continue with the Scouts, he said. “We really haven’t seen a great deal of impact.”

Mike Box, past president of the Mobile Area Council as of Jan. 1, said he expects a slight decrease in membership and Scouting units, but the reason stems from a reduction in the number of professional scouts on staff, who help start new units, and not the membership policy.

“There hasn’t been a large groundswell of comment either way,” Box said. “The fundamental principles of the Boy Scouts of America are: Do your duty to God and country. Do your duty to other people. Do your duty to yourself.

“All the requirements stem from those three basic principles, and they haven’t changed,” he said.

Box, who has been in Scouting for 50 years, said that the organization has taught him tolerance for those who believe and think differently. “Last year’s debate about the policy was just that – last year’s debate,” he said. “We’re going to move on.”